Summer Nights
by MagicAloha
Summary: Newly edited and revised. When Harry goes to the Burrow in the summer before 6th year, he gets a surprise party-and so much more! H/G, R/Hr. post-OOTP, pre-HBP.
1. Letters and Internal Struggles

Disclaimer: It would be cool to own Harry Potter. But I don't. Points to JKR, who has Harry chained to the wall next to her She does.

A/N: Hello again! It's the revised edition of _Summer Nights_! There weren't any plot elements that I changed, just the typos and nitpicks. Please read the prologue to this story, _Last Goodbye_!

**Summer Nights**

**Chapter One Letters and Internal Struggles**

Harry Potter lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The midday sun beat down on his face. A glass of lemonade sat on his bedside table, and his arms behind his head acted as a pillow. His body was comfortable, but his mind was in anguish. Harry closed his eyes as another one of his headaches started. His scar burned for a few moments, and then left a dull pain. His scar had been hurting on and off for a while, so he had started to ignore it.

He reached over for his lemonade, which was now covered in condensation. He took a long gulp to soothe his aching throat, and then wiped his wet hands on the bedspread. It was swelteringly hot outside, and he was happy to be inside where it was cool and air-conditioned.

Just as he was about to lie back down on his bed, he heard an all-too-familiar voice at his door. "Harry, is there anything you need?" He looked over at his Aunt Petunia, and shook his head. "Are you sure? Anything at all, I can get it for you." She didn't look him in the eye, but instead glanced around his room.

"No thank you, I'm peachy," Harry said dully. One thing he was thankful for was that his aunt didn't start calling him the pet names she still called Dudley. If she ever called him Harry-Warrykins, he would have to fly his broomstick all the way to Iceland, even if it meant expulsion from Hogwarts.

Hogwarts. Harry leaned back down on his bed as Aunt Petunia closed the door behind her. Going back to school was the only thing he was looking forward to. At Hogwarts he had friends who understood him. At the Dursley's, he was bored out of his mind. They had started to treat him almost as nice as they treated Dudley. However, their forced kindness was only to keep him happy so he wouldn't write to the Order of the Phoenix and complain, therefore putting the Dursleys' reputations and lives at risk.

Just then, several thumps came from outside his window, one after the other. The source of the sound appeared to be a ball of feathers throwing itself against the windowpane.

Harry grinned for the first time all day, and opened the window. "Pig!" He exclaimed, as the tiny owl dropped two letters on his bed and started zipping around his room at top speed. Harry caught Pig and put him in the empty cage on the floor. "Here, have some food and water, Hedwig won't mind," he said to the bird, "she's out hunting for mice."

Harry grabbed one of the letters Pig had delivered and ripped it open quickly when he saw it was from his best friend, Ron.

_Dear Harry,_

_What's up, mate? Are you bored at your aunt and uncle's? I talked to Mum and Dad about having you over sometime soon, and they said it would be all right. You could come over around the middle of July, I think. And Ginny wants Hermione to come over too, so maybe you both can stay for the rest of the summer. I reckon they're planning something for your 16th birthday. Probably a party! That would be bloody brilliant, you should see the stuff Fred and George have invented that they want to test out. And a warning: DON'T ACCEPT ANYTHING FROM THEM!!! We've all been involuntary test subjects for their pranks. They're making lots of money though, like you saw with their dragon skin jackets at the train station. They're looking for a place to live that's near their shop, but for now they're living at the Burrow._

_Still no word from Percy. I think he might be embarrassed for not believing Dad that You-Know-Who is really back, now that the Ministry is on our side. And we haven't heard too much about the war either. Or at least, Fred, George, Ginny and I haven't. Mum and Dad aren't telling us anything, but what else is new?_

_Hope you can come and stay,_

_Ron_

Harry was overjoyed for the first time since he had left Hogwarts. He would be leaving the Dursleys for the rest of the summer, and he would have his very first birthday party! He was slightly troubled when he saw that Percy still wasn't speaking to anyone in his family, and that there was no news on the war with Lord Voldemort. _But no news is good news,_ Harry thought.

He looked back over the letter. _Ginny_ wanted Hermione to come over? What about Ron? Wasn't Hermione his friend too? But, knowing the two of them, they probably got into another row after Harry had left the train station.

Once he had finished triumphing over the fun summer ahead of him, he saw that he had another letter that Pig had delivered. It read:

_Dear Harry,_

_How's your summer been going? I've been fine, except that one of Fred and George's trick candies dyed my teeth green for a week!_

_Ron says he's told you that you can come and stay at the Burrow for the summer. We might also be going to the place we went last year later on this summer. (I can't say where, in case the letter is intercepted) Hermione's coming as well, as I'm sure you know._

_And speaking of Hermione and Ron, he's been acting funny lately. He blushes whenever her name is mentioned. Do you have any idea why? I know I don't…._

_Anyway, I hope your family is treating you all right. I'm sure they are, after what Moody said to them in King's Cross at the end of term! I'll see you soon_

_Ginny_

Harry blinked several times. Ginny had written him a letter? And what was she talking about with Ron and Hermione? They were his best friends and he didn't notice anything strange going on between them. But he had been rather busy last year.

Harry sighed. The previous month had taken its toll on him. It would have been bad enough with just his O.W.L.s, Umbridge, Dumbledore, and the war to worry about. But the loss of his godfather, along with the prophecy he had discovered, were almost too much to bear.

He sat up, and tried to shake off the sudden depression that had befallen him. He got his quill and some parchment from his desk, and started to write a reply to Ron and Ginny.

"Ron! Ginny! Get down here and set the table!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed through the slightly run-down house that was the Burrow.

Three stories up, Ron Weasley looked up from the bit of parchment he had been staring at for the past several minutes, and got up from his desk. He crumpled the parchment up and threw it away, but not before glancing at the solitary words written at the top: _"Dear Hermione,". _He ambled down the stairs, skipping a few steps at a time with his long legs. When he got to the foot of the stairs, he saw that his sister was already putting silverware on the table.

"Ron," Ginny said, looking him up and down, "You have ink smudged all over your face." Ron quickly splashed water on his face from the sink. "Trying to think of what to write to Hermione again?" She said, with a sly smile.

"No," Ron said, a bit too quickly. Ginny shared a knowing smile with her mother. "What?" Ron said, trying to sound puzzled. Ginny just shook her head.

Before Ron had a chance to act even more confused, two loud cracking sounds came from the living room. "Hello, all!" said Fred as he and his twin strode into the room.

"A really good day for business, isn't it?" George added as they sat down at the table.

"Oh no, you don't!" Mrs. Weasley pulled them out of their seats. "If you're still going to live in this house, then you are going to earn your keep! Help Ron and Ginny set the table."

"Gosh, Mum, we just can't, we have to…" George looked at Fred for an excuse.

"Go back to the shop! Yes, that's it, we forgot…something." The twins then Disapparated with a loud crack back to their shop in Diagon Alley.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "I've given up chasing after them. They're almost grown up and moved out." She looked wistfully out the window.

Ron and Ginny looked at each other, amused. Their mother was yelling at Fred and George half of the time, but they would all miss the pair around the house.

As Ron got the plates out of the cupboard, a very small ball of feathers whizzed past him, causing him to drop all of the tableware he had been holding. "Damn you, bloody owl!" Pig was still zooming around the house, excited to deliver a letter. Ginny caught him in midair.

"It's from Harry!" she squealed, and ripped it open before seeing whom it was addressed to. This time it was Ron who shared a knowing glance with his mother. "And it's for both of us, Ron," she said. She read it out loud.

_Dear Ron and Ginny,_

_I've been fine, with many thanks to Moody and everyone for scaring the Dursley's like that. They've at least started to leave me alone._

_Thank you for the offer, and yes, of course I would love to spend the rest of the summer with you! Anything could be better than here. Just make the arrangements and I'll be there!_

_I'm looking forward to seeing the both of you, and Hermione. Hopefully I'll see you sooner rather than later._

_Your Friend,_

_Harry_

Ginny read the letter over and over again. He would love to spend the summer with her? He's looking forward to seeing her? It was all so confusing. She had fancied him when she was a little girl, but she had only fancied the famous Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. And now, it almost seemed as if he fancied her! Of course, the letter had been addressed to herself and Ron, and Ron was his best friend. _And _she supposed she was reading between the lines a bit. She sighed. She was starting to feel a headache coming on, both from excitement and anxiousness.

Ron read the letter from Harry quickly after Ginny read it aloud. After dinner, he ran up to his room and scribbled a note back to Harry.

_Harry-_

_Glad you can come. Ginny's over the moon about it, ha ha! We can't write the exact directions or date for when you'll be coming over, in case the letter is intercepted, but be packed and ready at all times, and we'll get you out of there._

_-Ron_

Ron leaned back in his chair. He had one easy note done; now all he had to do was write to Hermione. Ron took a deep breath. Sure, they had kissed at the train station after everyone had left, so what? No, it wasn't "So what". It had been wonderful.

He laid down on his Chudley Cannons-quilted bed. Kissing Hermione had been one of the happiest moments of his life. Not being able to see her was gnawing at him like a flesh-eating slug. He had to communicate with her sometime this summer, before he went mad. He was fighting an internal struggle.

_Come on, Ron, don't be such a wanker, just pick up the quill and write her!_

_ But what if she writes back and says that she's sorry she ever kissed me, and she likes Viktor much better?_

_ She would never do that to you. And she's still your best friend! Friends write each other all the time._

_ Yeah, she's my friend. My friend that I snog on the side!_

_ Well, snogging her was bloody terrific, and if you want to do it again, you have to maintain contact with her._

_ That's easy for _you_ to say._

Ron buried his head under the pillow. Writing Hermione a letter was harder than he thought it would be.


	2. Invitations and More Letters

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I own Parry Hotter, but not Harry Potter. Sorry.

**Chapter Two Invitations and More Letters**

Hermione Granger sat at her desk, an open book and several pieces of parchment in front of her. She had finished part of her Transfiguration essay, but she couldn't concentrate enough to do the rest. She never would have thought that she would rather daydream about Ron Weasley than do schoolwork.

Before she could lapse into a Ron-filled daydream, she heard a persistent tapping at her window. "Pig!" She exclaimed. A letter from Ron! But when she opened the letter, she saw that it was not in Ron's sloppy scrawl, but Ginny's neat handwriting.

_Dear Hermione,_

_ How are you? We're all fine here, and I'm sorry that I don't have any news about the war for you. I'm glad you're coming to stay though, we'll have a lot of fun. Harry says he's coming too! I'm so excited!_

_ Have you finished the guest list for Harry's surprise party? I think you should invite Parvati, Padma, and Lavender. They're in your class so they'll hear about the party anyway. I just hope that Ron hasn't told Harry about the party. It would ruin the surprise._

_ Speaking of Ron, what is going on with you two lately? You were both pretty flushed when we were leaving the train station. I'm sure you just got in another row._

_See you in a few days,_

_Ginny_

Hermione gulped after reading the letter. Did Ginny know about she and Ron? Had Ginny seen them kissing at the train station? They hadn't exactly been discreet; they had only stepped behind a pillar when they had declared their feelings for one another. Hermione bit back a grin. Every time she thought about Ron and their kiss, her heart fluttered.

Pig was waiting impatiently for a reply to deliver. Hermione picked up her quill and began to write.

_Dear Ginny,_

_ I'm doing quite well, thank you. I'm glad that Harry's coming. His party will be great. I'll include the guest list in with this letter. I put Cho Chang on the list, do you think that's all right? She and Harry got into a bit of a fight, so I hope there's no hard feelings._

_ And as for Ron, I have no idea what you are talking about. We did not get in a row and there is nothing going on between us._

_See you soon,_

_Hermione_

She looked over her short letter. She felt bad about lying to Ginny about she and Ron, but she just wanted to keep it private for a while. Ron obviously hadn't told Ginny, and if Hermione told her, then Fred and George would taunt Ron without end. Hermione folded up the letter, and put it in an envelope addressed to Ginny, along with the guest list she had compiled earlier. Just as Pig was about to take off, she grabbed him and told him to wait. She sat down at her desk, and pulled out another sheet of parchment. At the top of the paper she wrote _"Dear Ron"_. If he wouldn't write her a letter, then she would write him.

Once she was finished her letter to Ron (it was the fourth draft she had written and Pig was getting restless), she sent it off with the tiny owl. Hermione watched him fly away, and she also watched him collide with a large tawny owl that was flying towards her window.

"What is this, Owl Day?!" She said to herself, and let the large owl in. He dropped a letter on her desk and then perched on the windowsill very primly. He was obviously waiting for a reply. Hermione examined the letter. It was in a gold-accented envelope and the letter itself was bordered in a gold pattern. When she looked closer, Hermione saw that it was not a letter, but an invitation.

_Mr. Neville Longbottom Cordially Invites You to a Celebration of Youth. Please Join Us on the Twenty-Eighth of July for a Party to Celebrate Mr. Longbottom's Sixteenth Birthday._

_Gifts are Greatly Accepted, and Dress Robes are Suggested._

_We Hope You can Join Us to Rejoice in the Merriment of Adolescence._

The writing itself was so fancy that Hermione could hardly even make out the words, but she got the meaning. Neville's grandmother had obviously tried to throw him the party of a lifetime, but instead he got what sounded like the most formal gathering that Hermione would ever attend. She sighed, and filled out the R.S.V.P. card that was included with the invitation.

Once the card was securely in the tawny owl's beak, Hermione looked over to see a snowy owl flying towards her window. Hedwig had no letter to deliver, but must have sensed that Hermione felt like writing one to Harry. She heaved another sigh. "Owl Day indeed."

Ron was sitting on his bed, his Potions book open in front of him. He was attempting to write an essay about the effects of a Growth Potion on living creatures. He was also attempting to get his mind off of Hermione, both with no success.

A polite tapping on his window interrupted his perfect daydream. A large tawny owl with an envelope in its beak glared at him through the windowpane. Ron let him in, and a very fancy invitation was dropped onto his desk. Ron read the note through, and then called to his sister Ginny.

"Ginny!" After a few moments she appeared at his doorway, looking annoyed. "We've been invited to Neville's birthday party." He showed the invitation to his sister. "Looks horribly dull, doesn't it?" Ron added.

"I expect it's his Gram who organized it," She said to him, taking the R.S.V.P. card out of the envelope and examining it.

"Then she must be having a major mid-life crisis if she wants to celebrate the Merriment of Youth," Ron said, snickering. Ginny giggled. "Or would that be end-of-life crisis?" Laughing, Ginny picked up the letter and went into her room.

Ron had gotten comfortable back on his bed and was seriously considering writing his Potions essay when his concentration was interrupted again, this time by someone yelling his name.

"Ro-on!" Ginny yelled, tauntingly. "Could you come here for a moment?!" He shrugged, and went to Ginny's room. He walked in to find her holding two letters in one hand, and Pig in the other. "Ron, you have a letter," She said slowly, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Who from?" He said suspiciously.

"Hermione," Ginny answered in the same singsong voice. She sarcastically sniffed the letter. "It smells so good!" She looked ready to burst out laughing. "Is it perfumed?"

"Give it here!" Ron lunged at her and grabbed the letter. Ginny fell onto her bed from laughing as her brother stomped angrily up to his room.

"You're lucky Fred and George aren't here!" She yelled up to him between laughs.

Ron slammed the door to his room and glared at Pig. "Ruddy owl! You're supposed to deliver the letter to who it's addressed to!" Ron sat on the edge of his bed, the letter from Hermione still in his hands. He wondered if Ginny wasn't lying about the letter smelling good, and timidly sniffed it. It did smell quite good, but not like it was perfumed. It smelled like Hermione, like flowers and books. He took a deep breath, and opened the letter.

_Dear Ron,_

_ How have you been? I've been fine. The weather here has been wonderful. And I do hope you have been doing your homework. The Potions essay was ghastly, but I finished it well enough. And I wrote a foot more than Professor Snape wanted, I hope he won't mind._

_ I'm glad that Harry can come to stay at the Burrow. He's always so miserable at his aunt and uncle's house, and I'm sure that this year it's ten times worse._

_ I'm also really excited to be staying with you and your family over the summer. I think that you and I have a lot to talk about that shouldn't be said in a letter._

_I can't wait to see you-_

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Ron read the last three lines over and over. _I can't wait to see you- Love, Hermione_. _Love, Hermione. _That didn't mean that Hermione loved him, of course. Not necessarily. Ron smiled to himself. She couldn't wait to see him! Just as he was about to jump for joy, he read the last paragraph again. _I think you and I have a lot to talk about that shouldn't be said in a letter. _What was that supposed to mean? Did it mean that she fancied him, and wanted to tell him properly? Or that she was sorry that she led him on by kissing him, and that she just wanted to stay friends?

He let out a groan of frustration. He would never understand girls.

The sun was setting on Privet Drive, casting a pinkish glow on the streets and sidewalks. Harry lay on his bed, reading Quidditch Through the Ages for about the tenth time. He read peacefully until he felt a gentle nipping on his ear.

"Hedwig!" The snowy owl flew over to his desk, indicating a letter that she had delivered. Harry opened it quickly when he saw Hermione's neat handwriting on the front.

_Dear Harry,_

_ I do hope your aunt and uncle have been treating you well. I can't wait to go to the Burrow. We'll have lots of fun with the Weasleys. And I expect you've been invited to Neville's party as well. It sounds really formal, and completely out of Neville's hands. And I'm going to have to stop at Madame Malkin's for new dress robes while I'm in Diagon Alley. I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron for a night with my parents, and then I'll go to the Burrow by Floo Powder the next day. And I don't know when you're arriving, but I suppose you don't either._

_See you at the Burrow-_

_-Hermione_

After Harry read the letter, he glanced at the fancy gold invitation on his desk. He had gotten an invitation from Neville, but he wasn't sure if he'd even be allowed to go. Would they let him leave the Burrow? Security couldn't be _that_ tight. But he still hadn't sent a reply to Neville, and was starting to feel guilty about it. He quickly filled out the R.S.V.P. card, but left a note attached to it, saying that he would love to come, but he wasn't sure if he had permission. He sent Hedwig off to deliver it.

Harry glanced around his room. All of his belongings were packed up, with the exception of Quidditch Through the Ages and his quill. He was happy to finally leave the Dursleys, even though he had only been there a few weeks that summer. And at least this time he had some warning before some strangers just burst into his house.

Just then, as if someone was reading his thoughts, Harry heard a loud rumble from downstairs, as if several people had fallen over on the floor.

A/N: Heehee, sort of a cliffie!


	3. An Arrival and Pointless Shaving

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter. Sadly, I don't.

A/N: Chapter Three! Yay! Don't know what to say, so R/R!!!!

**Chapter Three An Arrival and Pointless Shaving**

Harry jumped to his feet. Was he mistaken, or did he hear hushed voices coming from downstairs? He crept to the top of the stairs and listened.

"Alright then, lads --" he heard a gruff voice say.

"And lass," a young woman's voice added.

"Yes, of course," the man's voice said again. "Do you remember where his room is?"

"Of course we do, Mad-Eye, let's just get him out of here, shall we?" another man said. Harry felt his heart leap with delight. It was Lupin, Moody, and Tonks --part of the Advance Guard-- and they had come to take him away from the Dursleys!

Before he could go downstairs to greet them, Harry heard another voice, this one thunderous and not at all comforting.

"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!" Uncle Vernon's voice echoed through the house. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Lupin tried to get a word in, but Uncle Vernon kept going. "PETUNIA! BURGLARS IN THE HOUSE!"

"No, let us explain," Lupin interrupted, but before Uncle Vernon could yell another word, Moody pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at the overweight Muggle in front of them.

"One wrong move, Dursley," Moody started menacingly.

Uncle Vernon's eyes grew as big as saucers. "It's – you!" He said, terrified when he recognized the man who had threatened him the month before.

"Of course it's me, Dursley. We're here to pick up young Potter." Moody glared at him through his magical eye. Vernon winced. Before the man could yell up the stairs for him, Harry ran down the stairs to see his friends.

"Here I am," he said, smiling at them all, overjoyed to finally be leaving. Just then, Aunt Petunia came running into the living room from the backyard, where she had probably been gossiping with one of the neighbors.

"Vernon, what is it?" She asked, in a panic. Then she turned to see the strangers in her living room, along with Moody's eye and Tonks's blue hair, and let out an earsplitting shriek.

"Oh, shut up, the both of you," Moody said grumpily.

"How'd you get here? Apparate?" Harry asked.

"No, Portkey. This way you can come back with us," Tonks answered. Lupin held up the object that had transported them.

Harry looked at it curiously. It was exactly what he would have pictured a Portkey to look like, had he only heard what it was called. It was a very large golden key with the letters 'MM' inscribed on it. He thought it resembled the key to a city that the mayor would give to an outstanding citizen.

"That's an official Ministry of Magic Portkey, Harry," Lupin explained. "Now that the Ministry is supporting Dumbledore and the Order, we've gotten special permission to pick you up and take you to the Burrow. That's also why there are only three of us to pick you up. It's a lot safer than it was last year."

"Are you all staying at the Burrow?" Harry inquired.

"No, I'm sorry, we're not," Lupin said, "But we'll… visit on your birthday."

"The oldest Weasley boys are coming to stay, though," Tonks added, "I suppose they want to see their father after what happened last month." She smiled impishly. "That Bill is something, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid none of us men can comment on that," said Moody. The others chuckled. Uncle Vernon looked like he was about to explode with rage.

"You will not talk of such things in my house," he sputtered.

"What, Bill Weasley?" Tonks asked sarcastically.

"No, the m-word," Harry said. When they looked at him questioningly, he said, "Magic." Aunt Petunia gasped. "What are you going to do about it?" Harry was taking pleasure in enraging the Dursleys when they couldn't punish him.

Just before Uncle Vernon could find something to throw at Harry's head, the doorbell rang. Aunt Petunia gasped again and ushered --more like shoved-- the uninvited guests into the kitchen. "If any of the neighbors see them, Vernon," she said, the fear evident in her quavering voice. She quickly ran to answer the door.

Harry heard another familiar voice coming from the front door. "Hello, Mrs. Dursley, how are you today?"

"Quite well, Mrs. Figg. How are your cats?" The small crowd of wizards in the kitchen grinned at each other.

"Just fine, Petunia. May I come in?"

"Of course." The two women stepped inside, and Aunt Petunia closed the front door.

"Could I just have a look around?" Mrs. Figg asked.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry, this place is just a pigsty! I don't know why you would want to see it, I mean—" Aunt Petunia was interrupted by Mrs. Figg.

"Mrs. Dursley, I know from experience that your house is _always_ clean. Overly-clean, in fact." Aunt Petunia looked like she had never been more insulted in her entire life.

"Well, I never!" she said, but Mrs. Figg cut her off again.

"Let's just cut to the chase, as they say. I'm here to see Harry. I believe that he has some friends coming to visit," She said, and before Petunia could interject, she continued, raising her voice as if to speak to the group in the kitchen. "And they had better be on time!" The four of them walked into the hallway. "Ah, good."

"We're on time, Figg, no need to be angry," Moody said. Petunia gaped at them. The wizards ignored her.

"Of course, if a certain _Dung_ was here on time, we'd be just peachy!" Mrs. Figg looked frustrated. "I swear on Merlin's beard, I'm going to boil him! Whenever Dumbledore gives him an important job, he's always late, or he leaves to buy stolen goods, or some other cockamamie thing!" Then she finally acknowledged Harry. "Why, hello dear! I haven't seen you in a while." She smiled. "You can always come and visit me, you know, you don't have to stay inside all the time."

"Stop feeling sorry for him, Arabella, he's been through enough already without you whimpering over him," Lupin said, frowning.

"Harry, you'd better go get your things. We've only got three more minutes," Tonks said, changing the subject. She herded Harry upstairs to grab his trunk and Hedwig's empty cage. When they got back down, they saw Mr. and Mrs. Dursley sitting on the sofa, their lips moving soundlessly. "Silencing charm," Tonks muttered, grinning.

"These two wouldn't stop barking at us, so I shut them up," Moody said. He then eyed Harry suspiciously. "Are you sure this is really Harry?"

"Harry, what form does your Patronus take?" Lupin asked dully.

"A stag," said Harry in an equally dry tone.

"Are you still sure?" Moody wanted to know. "We asked him that question last time."

"Harry, what is your stag's name?" Lupin said, catching Harry's eye.

He understood. "Prongs," said Harry, looking at the ground.

"All right then." Lupin had a glint of sadness in his eyes. He glanced at his watch. "One minute, everybody."

They all gathered to the center of the living room, each touching the Portkey. "Mrs. Figg, you're coming too?" Harry asked.

"Sure, I might as well," she replied, joining the circle. "And undo that Silencing charm, Mad-Eye." He did so, and they all waited in silence (even the Dursleys, who didn't know what they were waiting for).

"Three, two, one." At that moment, Harry felt the annoyingly familiar tug coming from somewhere behind his bellybutton, and before he knew it, he and the others had hit the floor in a heap.

Harry got up slowly, rubbing his elbow where it had collided with the floor. He adjusted his glasses, and looked around. They were in the living room at the Burrow, and he noticed dimly that there were people greeting him.

"Good to see you, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, clapping him on the back.

"Hello, dear." Mrs. Weasley pulled him into a big hug.

"Hey, mate," Ron said as he offered Harry a brotherly handshake.

"Hi, Harry," said a quiet voice from behind Ron. Ginny stepped out and gave Harry an awkward one-armed hug. Harry couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked. Ginny couldn't help but notice how much Harry was blushing.

Mrs. Weasley suppressed a small giggle, and said, "I'm making lunch, if you all want to stay. Merlin knows that I'm used to cooking for large numbers." They all went to sit down at the large dining table.

In the middle of the delicious meal, two loud cracking noises were heard coming from one of the upstairs bedrooms. No one at the table had to guess what it was. "Fred! George!" Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs. "Lunchtime!" There were thunderous footsteps, and then the twins appeared in the kitchen, both wearing their dragon skin jackets.

"Business is booming, as usual," George said, plopping down in an empty chair next to Lupin.

"But selling pranks and tricks to innocent youths is very tiring," Fred added with a grin. "What're we eating?"

"Excuse me, boys, but does this look like a restaurant to you?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"No, but you should open one, you're the best cook in the entire world," Fred said sweetly.

Mrs. Weasley blushed, and said, "All right, fine, but _do_ clean up your room before you leave again!" Everyone at the table grinned at how the twins were so talented in buttering up their mother.

When they had moved on to a dessert of pumpkin pie, Harry asked (to no one in particular), "So when's Hermione coming?" After he said that, a burst of sniggers came from Fred, George, and Ginny, and Ron seemed to be choking on the milk he had been gulping. Harry looked over to see what was so funny, and he came face to face with what looked like a bright red tomato with even redder hair. Ron tried to cover up his face, which was blushing deeper by the second. When Harry looked around the table, he even saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and Mrs. Figg all hastily covering up smiles with their napkins or their hands.

Ginny finally got a hold on herself, and managed to say, "She's coming this afternoon, actually." Harry nodded, and chuckled to himself.

Later that afternoon, Harry was downstairs waiting for Hermione to arrive. Ron was taking a considerable amount of time to "freshen up" as he called it. Harry thought it was rather funny, since Ron never gave a tick what he looked like.

Harry heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and Ginny emerged and sat in a chair next to him. Harry didn't enjoy the awkward silence that was occurring then, so he said, "Does he always act like that when her name is mentioned?"

Ginny chuckled. "Yeah. It's pretty funny most of the time." She looked at him. "You wouldn't have any idea why he gets so embarrassed, do you?"

Harry shrugged. "No, but he's probably not even embarrassed. He just blushes a lot." Ginny nodded, but he got the impression that she knew something he didn't.

Just as he was about to pry whatever information Ginny had out of her, Mrs. Weasley called them over to the large kitchen fireplace. "It's half past two, dears," she said. "Hermione should be here any moment. She walked over to the foot of the stairs. "Ron, get down here!" She sighed. "He doesn't have any whiskers to shave, I don't know what he's playing at up there." Harry and Ginny laughed.

Ron came down the stairs at a record-breaking pace. "Is she here?" he said, panting. Harry noticed that Ron had put on his best Weasley sweater, and judging by the cuts on his face, he had tried to shave as well. Harry made a mental note to tell Fred and George. They would torture Ron about it to no end.

"No, she's not here yet, calm down," Mrs. Weasley said, handing Ron a glass of water. The group stared at the large fireplace for long minutes, when finally there was a large burst of green fire inside it.

A/N: Hope you liked it! I promise, more fluff and fun when Hermione finally comes!


	4. Another Arrival and An Interruption

Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me! If it did, I wouldn't be writing fanfics.

A/N: Chapter Four, woohoo!

**Chapter Four Another Arrival and An Interruption**

A rumpledHermione stumbled out of the fireplace. She smoothed her skirt and brushed the soot off of her clothes before looking up at the people standing before her.

"Hello, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, helping Hermione brush off her clothes.

"Hey Hermione," said Harry, taking his turn to greet her. Hermione gave him a quick hug. Ron felt a sudden pang of jealousy.

"Hi, Hermione," said Ginny cheerfully, and then looked her up and down. "Are you wearing makeup? And you did your hair!" Ginny grinned mischievously. "What brought on this sudden change?"

Hermione blushed. "Nothing," she said, and turned to look up at Ron. She could feel the color rising to her cheeks as they, and she noticed Ron was turning pink as well. Just as Hermione opened her mouth to give him a weak hello, Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way as her trunk shot out of the fireplace.

"Thanks," Hermione said, out of breath. She looked up into his face. Their eyes locked for a breathless moment. Then they came out of whatever trance they had been in, and both turned bright shades of magenta. Ginny covered a smile with her hand. Harry scratched his head stupidly. Hermione looked down and noticed that Ron's hand was still on her arm. He hastily pulled it away.

Ginny giggled, and then said quickly, "Harry, do you want to go out and practice some Quidditch? Ron, you can help Hermione take her things upstairs." Then Ginny dragged Harry out the door towards the Quidditch field.

"Er--" said Ron brilliantly, "I guess we should…" He motioned toward her trunk.

"Yeah," said Hermione. Together they hauled the trunk up the steep stairs to Ginny's room, where she would be sleeping. Panting, the two of them sat down on the bed. Ron was suddenly very aware that he was alone, on a bed, with Hermione. His ears had already started to turn pink.

Ron had to get it out. He had to ask Hermione if she had meant to kiss him that day, and if she still fancied Viktor. "Hermione, I need to talk to you."

"Didn't we already have this talk?" she said, grinning.

Ron gave a weak laugh, and loosened up a little. "Yeah, well, this is a different one. Look, I know that you said that you knew I fancied you, and then I—" He blushed even deeper—"made the first move. Then you just left afterwards. I'm really sorry if you didn't want to kiss me, and that you were repulsed, but—"

Hermione cut him off. "Of course not, Ron, you're adorable—" She joined him in blushing. "What I meant to say was that you do not repulse me at all."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said, giving her a lopsided grin that made her heart skip a beat. But then another thought came to him. "But what about Krum? Are you two still Owl-Pals?"

"We write to each other once in a while, yes," Hermione replied. "But we're only friends."

"You went to the Yule Ball together. Were you only friends then?"

"Viktor must've really fancied me, after practically stalking me in the library!" said Hermione. "But I never liked him as more than a friend."

"You didn't?"

"No. To be quite honest, he was horribly dull," Hermione said, grinning.

"I told you so!" said Ron, delighted that he had been right.

"For your information," she said, "I made that judgment on my own, thank you very much." Ron smiled. Now that's the Hermione he knew.

"Well, I was right about him anyway," said Ron triumphantly. Feeling playful, he said, "So does that mean that you didn't mind us – kissing?"

"I suppose you could say that," she said softly, now very aware of how close he was to her on the bed.

"So you wouldn't remind repeating the experience?" he whispered. But before she had a chance to reply, he brushed a lock of hair from her face, and started to lean in. His lips were millimeters away from hers when they heard footsteps on the stairs.

Harry stomped up the steps, muttering about crazy redheads and broomsticks. However, he would have enjoyed being alone outside with Ginny Weasley very much, Quidditch or no.

He heard a shuffling sound from Ginny's bedroom on the way up to Ron's. Who could be in there, since Ginny was downstairs? He peeked his head into the room. A scarlet Ron was smoothing the quilt on Ginny's bed, and a very red Hermione was flipping through a copy of _Teen Witch Weekly_. Harry was automatically confused. Ron never cared if anyone's quilt was rumpled, and Hermione didn't worry about anything that would be in _Teen Witch Weekly_, like makeup or hairstyles (until today, that is).

Harry shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind, and said, "I'm just on my way to get my broomstick. Ginny dragged me outside to play Quidditch when I didn't even have my _broomstick_. Funny, huh?" He cleared his throat. He could sense the tension in the air. "Ron, do you want to come out and practice with us?"

"Oh, sure," he said finally, "Just let me grab my broom."

"I'll come and watch you," said Hermione. She and Ron locked eyes as they walked past each other. Both of them turned red. Harry was, once again, very confused. Before he could think on it, however, Ginny burst into the room, panting. She had obviously ran upstairs as fast as she could to see what was going on. She looked from one blushing face to the other, grinned, and said, "Quidditch, anyone?"

Harry, Ginny, and Ron spent the next hour throwing a Quaffle back and forth in the field where the Weasleys practiced. Hermione, who was usually bored watching them practice, was watching with rapt attention. Harry was so immersed in flying that he didn't notice Ron sneaking glances at Hermione, who kept her eyes on him at all times. Harry did notice Ginny, however. He nearly fell off his broom once or twice because he had been looking at her instead of in front of him.

The next week was a blur. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the twins (when they weren't at work) played Quidditch at least once a day, Hermione usually joining them to watch. Harry remained oblivious to the flirtations going on between Ron and Hermione. And, much to their disappointment, the two never got time alone together before another Weasley or Harry rudely interrupted them.

The four of them also took a trip to Hogsmeade. They went to Fred and George's shop, as well as their usual stops at the Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes. They also stopped at Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, since Hermione, Ginny, and Harry needed new dress robes for Neville's party. Ron, luckily, hadn't completely outgrown his robes that Fred and George had given him the previous year.

Harry thought life at the Weasleys' to be most relaxing. Aside from the occasional explosion from one of the twins' pranks (followed by a rant from Mrs. Weasley), and the occasional de-gnomeing that he and the others were subjected to, he really had nothing to worry about. Well, almost nothing.

Harry found that two things could keep his mind off the current war: playing Quidditch, and Ginny. They had been alone together on several occasions, when Hermione and Ron would disappear. Harry always went to find them, and they were always very embarrassed when he walked in on them. Ginny tried to keep him from finding them, because as she put it, 'They might want to be alone.' Harry hadn't a clue why, but Ginny always got a look like she knew something that she was dying to tell him, but couldn't. He hoped it wasn't something as serious as Tom Riddle's diary in her first year. But he knew that nothing like that would ever happen to Ginny again, not if he could help it.

Of course, the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley kept leaving at odd hours of the night on 'Order business' and came back looking disheveled and depressed wasn't helping Harry's fears about the war. Bill and Charlie were due to arrive that week as well. Their excuse was that they wanted to see their family after what had happened the month before, but Harry knew they were coming to help with the fight. But he didn't mind. They needed all the help they could get.

A/N: Wow, that chapter was sickeningly short! Oh well, the next chapter is longer, I assure you all.

**NEXT CHAPTER: NEVILLE'S PARTY!!!**


	5. Lilac Robes and Butter Dishes

Disclaimer: I am not JKR.

**Chapter Five Lilac Robes and Butter Dishes**

"Ginny, Hermione! Are you almost ready?!" Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs.

"Just a minute Mum!" Ginny yelled back. The two girls had spent the last few hours or so getting ready for Neville's party, and it was nearly time to go.

Ginny examined herself in the mirror. Her new golden yellow dress robes fit her perfectly, and her fiery red hair was done up in a loose bun. Her robes had been a present from Fred and George. Ever since they had started making money, they loved to spend it.

Hermione cleared her throat. She tugged nervously at the lilac-colored dress robes she wore. She had let Ginny fix her hair and makeup, and she looked better than she ever had before, even better than at the Yule Ball.

"'Mione, don't worry," said Ginny, as if she could read Hermione's mind. "You look absolutely fantastic." And she really did. Ginny had managed to tame Hermione's hair into pretty curls, instead of her normal bushy mane.

"Thanks Ginny," she replied, "So do you." Ginny thanked her, and nervously smoothed her robes.

"Well, are you ready?" Ginny asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," replied Hermione, and the two started down the stairs.

Ron impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for the girls to come down. "What could possibly take them so long to get ready?"

"Oh, you wouldn't understand Ron," said Mrs. Weasley, pulling a loaf of bread out of the oven. "Here boys, have some homemade bread. There'll probably only be finger foods at the party you're going to." She put the bread on a plate, and set it on the table in front of Harry and Ron along with a butter dish.

"I can understand _that_!" said Ron as he grabbed several slices. He was in mid-chew when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Ron gulped down the wad of bread in his mouth, and brushed off the crumbs on his robes. When he looked up, he saw Hermione in all her splendor. "Hi, Ron," she said shyly. He could only gape. She was stunning! He tried to tell her so.

"'Mione, you look… You look so…" He trailed off. _I knew it_, thought Hermione. _I look ridiculous. Stupid. Terrible._

"Surprising," said Ron finally. When she looked hurt, he quickly added, "Beautiful." They both blushed. Then, Ron got a mischievous look in his eye. "You know, lilac was Lockhart's favorite color. Did you pick out those robes for him?"

Harry just rolled his eyes at the two of them teasing each other, and looked over to see Ginny coming down the stairs. She smiled at him, and he could only lean on the table and gawk. Since when had she become so pretty? She put whatever thoughts he had ever had about Cho to the bin. The yellow of her dress robes made her glow. He was trying to think of something witty to say to her when Ginny looked at his arm and giggled. "What?" Harry said, looking himself over to see what the problem was.

Ginny giggled again. "Your elbow's in the butter dish, Harry," she said. He quickly tried to wipe off the mess that was now all over his robes. Ginny hurried over to help him. Harry couldn't help but smell the wonderful scent of flowers that lingered around her.

When he was clean, he said hoarsely, "Thanks, Ginny." Before she could go away, however, he added, "You look really nice."

Ginny blushed. _But she hardly ever blushes around me now_, Harry thought. She murmured a thank you. She would have never thought that just a compliment from Harry Potter would make her heart leap like that, at least not anymore.

The four teenagers quickly came out of their lovesick trances, and were left with an awkward silence. Mrs. Weasley, who had been watching with amusement the whole time, said, "Well, it's almost time for you to go. Come over here by the fireplace." They did so.

"Do you think it'll be safe for us to be traveling by Floo?" Harry asked. "I mean, now that there's this war going on?"

"Oh, it's fine. There will be plenty of good, experienced wizards at the party you're going to, and the Floo Network is safe," Mrs. Weasley replied. She glanced at her watch. "7:03! Harry, that's you." He reluctantly stepped into the fireplace. Floo Powder would not have been his first method of transportation. "Neville's party!" he yelled. He quickly disappeared in a burst of green flames.

When Harry emerged from the fireplace, his first thought was, _This__ is so boring, it could be someone's funeral. _He was in a very large, white ballroom. Classical music, coming from a group of aged musicians in the corner, met his ears. There were at least a hundred guests there, and they seemed to be a lot of elderly witches and wizards, most likely friends of Neville's gram, and a lot of kids his own age. Harry recognized a few of them from his year at Hogwarts.

He turned, and a very old, very dull-looking man came up to him. He wore simple black robes and carried a small brush. "Do you need brushing off, sir?" he said in a very nasal voice.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Harry replied. The servant's eyes widened when he saw Harry's scar, and he scurried away. Harry sighed. He turned expectantly toward the fireplace. Sure enough, Ron's gangly form appeared in the fire, and he stepped out. The little man with the brush came up to him as he had with Harry, and Ron pushed him away.

"Looks like a cool party," said Ron sarcastically. Harry laughed. They saw another burst of flame from the fireplace, and Ginny came out. Ron rushed over to her before the servant could. "Nobody's going to be 'brushing off' _my_ little sister," he said, and steered her away. Harry wondered if Ron's protectiveness of Ginny extended to _all_ possible brusher-offers…or boyfriends.

A few moments later, Hermione came out of the fireplace. Ron rushed over to help her up, and to protect her from any perverted old butlers that might have wanted to 'brush her off.' After they were all free of soot, an old woman with a fox fur scarf over her dress robes approached them.

"Why hello, Mr. Potter. And the Weasleys and Ms. Granger of course," Neville's gram said. "How lovely to see you."

"Thank you for inviting us, Mrs. Longbottom," said Hermione politely.

"You are ever so welcome, dear. Now I must run along, and see to my guests." She went back into the crowd of people.

"Well, she seems nice enough," said Harry dryly.

"Now into the party!" Ron said, loud enough so that several adults turned around. The four of them walked toward the center of the crowd.

"We should probably find Neville, I bet he's miserable," said Ginny.

"Yeah, I'll come with you," said Harry. They walked toward the edge of the room, leaving Ron and Hermione alone. After several minutes of searching the room, he and Ginny found Neville, slumped in a chair and surrounded by Dean and Seamus.

"Neville, you must be depressed," said Ginny. He nodded.

"My gram was so excited to throw me a birthday party, I just let her," he said glumly. "And this is what I got. A bunch of old people I don't even know, and a stupid string quartet." Ginny patted his shoulder, but Seamus and Dean looked uncomfortable.

"Well, Ginny, you look like you've got it under control from here," said Dean quickly.

"Yeah, see you Neville. Come on, Harry," Seamus said, and pulled Harry away from their friend. "He's been whining like that for the past fifteen minutes," Seamus explained. "It was bloody annoying."

"Where's Ron?" Dean asked.

"Talking with Hermione," Harry replied, once he got the thought of Ginny and Dean together out of his mind.

The other boys snickered. "What?" Harry asked.

"Nothing. It's just that we heard something about them," Seamus started. "That they're going out now."

Harry was shocked. "What?!"

"Don't worry mate, it was just a rumor," Dean said quickly.

This seemed to calm Harry down a bit. "A rumor. Yeah, that's right. I'm still asking Ron about it though." They walked over to where Harry had left Hermione and Ron. They were now in deep conversation with two Hufflepuffs from their year. Hermione saw them, and motioned for them to come over.

"Hi Seamus. Hi Dean." She nodded in the direction they had come from. "I'm going to go see how Neville's doing." She left, and so did the Hufflepuffs.

"So, Ron. Hermione, huh?" Seamus said with a devilish wink. "Personally, I've got my sights set on Lavender. What about you Harry? See anything you like?" Before either of them could protest, Seamus went on. "But I suppose I shouldn't be that way toward Hermione, because did you see her today? She's looking hot, don't you say?" Harry had to restrain Ron so he wouldn't leave a dent in Seamus's face. "Only joking mate, only joking!" Seamus backed away from him.

Ron still looked furious when he said, "What about you, Dean? Now that we're on the topic of girls, what about you and my sister?"

"What about your sister?" Dean said, confused. "I'm not going out with her, if that's what you mean." Then he added under his breath, "I don't have a death wish. Four older brothers!"

"Six," Harry corrected him in a whisper.

Now Ron was the one who looked confused. Then he understood how Ginny had tricked him, and shut up about it.

"Hello, boys," came a voice from beside them. It came from Parvati and Lavender, looking as pretty as usual. Dean and Seamus were whisked away, and they looked very happy about it.

When Harry turned back around, Ron was loading up a small plate with tiny sandwiches from a buffet cart. "Ron, can I ask you something?" Harry said, as Ron shoved three of the sandwiches in his mouth.

"What?" said Ron, although with his full mouth, it came out as "mff?"

Harry decided to be direct. "Are you and Hermione going out?" Ron was taken aback. "No!" he answered quickly. _Not yet,_ he added to himself. However, the answer seemed to satisfy Harry.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione spent the next part of the evening filling up on tea sandwiches and comforting Neville. At around eight o'clock, all of the food was taken away (much to Ron's dismay) and a waltz started to play. All of the adults started to dance to the music. Harry and Ron remembered painful flashbacks from the Yule Ball.

"Would you like to dance, Ron?" Hermione looked at him expectantly.

"I'd love to, but I can't." Ron stared at his shoes.

Hermione looked hurt. "Why not?"

"No, I mean I literally _can't_. At all." He blushed. "Especially waltzes."

Hermione was determined. "Then I'll teach you." She led him out onto the floor. "Here, left foot first. One, two, three. One, two, three. There, you've got it!" They danced for the entire waltz, Ron only stepping on her feet a few times.

Harry looked on curiously. Not going out, eh? Well they both seemed like they wanted to, at least. Harry brushed that thought aside, and got into a deep conversation with Terry Boot about the D.A. and the upcoming Quidditch season.

Harry looked up from their discussion, and saw Ginny dancing with Neville, who looked a lot more cheerful. Neville wasn't stepping on Ginny's feet at all, unlike the last time they had danced at the Yule Ball. Harry felt both a pang of jealousy, and an urge to rip Neville's heart out through his throat. He wondered what would happen if he asked Ginny to dance. Harry resolved to do so, but when the song was over, the music did not start again. Everyone was lining up in front of the three large fireplaces at the entrance. It was time to go.

Harry hurried off to join his friends in line to go. Hermione and Ron were already in line, so he cut in with them. "Well, this was fun, wasn't it?" Harry said jokingly. He was surprised when Ron said, "Yeah, it really was, wasn't it?" without the slightest trace of sarcasm.

Before Harry could comment again, Ginny cut into the line with them. "I guess Neville's feeling better, huh! We had a lot of fun dancing together."

Ron looked angry when he talked to her. "Gin, why did you tell me that you and Dean were going out?"

She looked confused, but then laughed. "Ron, I thought you knew I was joking about that! I only said it because you're always so protective of me! I just said the first name that popped into my head!" Ron was relived (as was Harry).

"Well, that's one less person that I have to kill," said Ron, grinning. However, his comment dampened Harry's good mood a bit. He still hadn't told his friends what the prophecy had said, and he would most rather not even have to think about it.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Weasley and Weasley," one of the servants said when they stepped to the front of the line. Finally, each of them went into the fireplace and back to the Burrow.


	6. The Hot Spot and Perfectly Perfect Perfe...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Hermione and Ron would have hooked up by now.

**Chapter Six The Hot Spot and Perfectly Perfect Perfection**

July 30th was a beautiful day at the Burrow. A light breeze tickled the grass, and the sky was periwinkle blue. It was the day before Harry's sixteenth birthday, and the surprise party that Hermione and Ginny were secretly planning was the next day as well. The invitations had been sent out, and the replies had been received. Nearly four dozen of Harry's closest friends would be attending, from Hagrid to Luna Lovegood. The only person who hadn't sent a reply to the invitation was Cho Chang (much to Ginny's delight).

That day, Harry, Ron and Ginny had planned on practicing Quidditch and Hermione would watch, like they had every day. But at the last moment, Ginny dragged Harry off to play a 'quick game of chess', leaving Ron and Hermione standing alone in the garden.

They stood there in awkward silence, until a silly idea occurred to Ron and he spoke up. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Hermione brightened. "Sure!" He led her out the gate of the backyard and towards the woods.

"I know a place where we can be alone," he whispered in response to her confused look. They walked into the cluster of trees and onto a well-worn path. After several minutes, they reached a clearing. Hermione gasped at the beautiful sight in front of her.

Two very large, very old trees stood like pillars in the middle of the moss-floored clearing. Strung in between the trees was a hand-woven, weatherworn hammock with just enough room for two people to sit. The afternoon sunlight shining down upon it was beckoning for them to sit and enjoy the beautiful weather.

"What is this place?" Hermione asked.

"Just a place to be alone," replied Ron, and he added, his ears turning pink, "I believe my brothers have nicknamed it the 'Weasley Hot Spot'." Hermione giggled, and his whole face turned pink. "It's quite famous in some circles. Whenever anybody comes over they always want to see it. My brothers used to bring their – er – girlfriends here, and even Mum and Dad's friends have been here, a long time ago. There's a bunch of concealment charms on it so that no one can barge in and interrupt." He blushed more deeply, but Hermione grinned.

"That's sweet, Ron." She walked over to one of the trees and touched its bark. "What's all this carved on it?"

"Oh, all the couples who come here always carve their names in one of the trees. My parents were the first, see here?" He pointed out the place where 'ArthurMolly' was etched. "And there's Percy and Penny--" He pointed out _PP 4ever_-- "Bill and Fleur--" _B&F_-- "Even Sirius and some old girlfriends of his." _SBGF_, _SB&ER_, and _Sirius & Barbie_ were all crossed out, but still legible after several decades of being there. Hermione smiled sadly at the thought of Sirius, but then she glanced around the other side of the tree.

"Ron, what is this?" She pointed accusingly at a large carving in the tree that had been outlined in a heart, and was also crossed out. He moved closer to look at it. The words 'Ickle Ronniekins & Herm-O-Ninny 4ever' were quite comprehensible, although it looked as if someone had attacked that part of the tree with a saw.

"Oh!" said Ron, turning very red. "Fred and George carved that a year or so back. You know, before I knew that you knew—"

"It's okay," Hermione interrupted. "I'm not sure we're worthy of 'the tree' yet." She smiled playfully, and motioned to the hammock. "Come sit." They plopped down, and the hammock swung dangerously. Ron had to grab the sides to stay on. Hermione laughed, and pulled him up so that they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. Ron loved being this close to her, but he was quite uncomfortable. He gulped, and put his arm that was next to Hermione around her shoulder. She glanced up at him, and smiled, snuggling up to him.

Ron sighed. It was amazing how perfect Hermione felt in his arms. He wondered if it would ruin the wonderful mood of the moment if he tried to hold her hand. Before he could, however, Hermione reached out and laced her fingers in his.

Now she was the one who sighed. She fit perfectly snuggled up in his arms. Even their hands fit together perfectly. She felt the need to comment on this perfect moment. "This is perfect," she said softly.

"More than perfect," Ron added dreamily.

"Perfectly perfect."

"Perfection." Hermione smiled up at Ron. He drew a strand of frizzy hair out of her face, and leaned in to kiss her. In the same moment, she shifted her position to move even closer toward him, which caused the hammock to flip over, toppling them to the ground.

Ron cursed quite audibly and lifted himself up. He held out his hand to give Hermione a hand up, but she was laughing so hard she wouldn't budge. She finally grabbed his right hand in her left, and clutched her stomach with her other. Ron couldn't help but chuckle as well. She looked so pretty when she laughed. He gazed at her, adoration in his eyes. Hermione finally stopped laughing, and looked back up at him. For a breathless moment, their eyes were locked. Then, before either of them knew it, their lips met.

Their first kiss was nothing compared to this. The last one had been shy and awkward, but now that they knew how perfectly each of them fit together, they did not hesitate. He ran his hands through her hair and down her back, sending shivers down her spine.

They held each other in a passionate embrace for several minutes before they broke apart, panting slightly. Neither of them could find the words to say, so Ron motioned to the hammock. He half-sat, half-laid on one side of it, and patted the spot next to him. He gave Hermione a lopsided grin, and she sat down on the hammock next to him. Ron longed for the feeling of her lips on his another time, so he attempted to lean in and kiss her. But, just like the last time, he leaned over too far and fell to the mossy ground with a thud. Luckily, Hermione didn't laugh _too_ hard this time, and helped Ron up.

"Oh dear," she said, chuckling and dusting him off. He stooped down to her level, and tilted her chin up so her eyes met his. He kissed her gently but firmly on the lips, and then asked softly, "Are we worthy of the tree now?"

Hermione smiled. "Maybe, maybe not. I'll need some more evidence to make my decision." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Will you provide the evidence?" She smiled playfully. He responded quite positively, and found a way to keep her occupied for the next hour or so.

Meanwhile, Harry was getting his arse kicked in chess by Ginny, and he didn't mind in the least. He was enjoying her company very much.

"It seems that you have picked up some of Ron's talent for chess," Harry remarked, as his bishop was shattered into pieces by Ginny's queen.

"He never taught me anything, but I used to watch all my brothers play when I was little," she answered, grinning triumphantly as she checkmated Harry.

"You have many hidden talents." Harry gave her a charming smile.

_Is he flirting with me? _Ginny thought. _No, of course not._"What do you mean, hidden talents?"

"You know, with chess, and Quidditch of course. You should have tried out for the team years ago, you're good enough to at least be a reserve."

Ginny blushed. Harry decided that he liked it when she blushed. It was rather cute. "Thank you. Quidditch _does_ run in the family." She looked thoughtful. "Well, maybe not so much with Ron." Harry laughed. How was it that Ginny, his best friend's little sister, could make him laugh, and other girls, like Cho, couldn't? He felt so comfortable with Ginny. They never ran out of things to talk about. _And she's so damned beautiful_, he thought.

"Harry!" It took him a few moments to realize that Ginny was trying to get his attention.

"Yeah?" he said dazedly, still waking up from the mini-daydream about the girl sitting in front of him.

"I'm getting sick of beating you. Do you want to go outside for some Quidditch?" Harry nodded, chuckling. They both grabbed their brooms and walked out the back door towards the field.

"Wait!" Harry looked around. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

Ginny looked around briefly before saying, "I don't know…." Harry could tell that she probably knew where they were, and he looked at her, his eyebrows raised, until she said, "Okay, fine. I think I might know where they are. Follow me." They walked into the same clump of trees that Ron and Hermione had gone into an hour ago.

Harry looked around and couldn't see anything but trees. "Ron?! Hermione!" he called loudly into the woods.

"Shhhh!" Ginny said, slapping his arm lightly. His pulse sped up just from her touch.

"Wha— what are we, spying on them or something?" he managed to get out. Ginny just shushed him again, and beckoned for him to come forward. Harry squinted through the trees, and he could just make out a clearing with two very large trees and a hammock in the center. Two figures were rushing toward them.

"Harry! Ginny! What are you doing here?" Ron said, looking very flushed and was standing very close to Hermione.

"I should ask you two the same thing," said Ginny, looking mischievous with her hands on her hips.

"We were just taking a walk," said Ron. Then he looked from Harry to his sister and said, "What _were_ you two doing here?"

"Looking for you," said Harry quickly. "We were about to do some Quidditch drills, do you want to come?"

"Sure! Just let me get my broom!" said Ron, without hesitation. Then, he added, "Hermione? Why don't you come with me?" She nodded quickly, and they walked back toward the house. Harry and Ginny walked in the opposite direction, toward the Quidditch pitch.

When Ron was sure that Ginny and Harry couldn't hear him, he whispered to Hermione, "I promise, sometime we'll get some alone time together and we _won't_ be interrupted."

Hermione nodded. "But why is it that Ginny and Harry could see us, and the--" she cleared her throat-- "Hot Spot?"

Ron furrowed his brow. "Well, the only way that anyone can get to, or even see that whole clearing is if there are two people looking for it, and those people must possess strong romantic feelings for one another. At least that's how Fred and George explained it to me. They're the only ones who know how to get through to the clearing without being, you know, a couple. That's how they managed to carve our names on the tree." Then Ron backtracked and realized what he had said. Harry and Ginny? Harry and Ginny! _Harry _and_ Ginny_! Ron was torn between wanting to tear Harry's head off, or give him a brotherly hug. If his little sister had to be with anyone, it might as well be his best friend. But he'd rather she not be with anyone.

Hermione seemed to understand what he was thinking. "Don't worry. Just because they are attracted to each other doesn't mean that there's something going on between them."

Ron smiled. "You know what? I think I'm actually okay with it. It sounds crazy, but I really wouldn't mind if they went out. Then it would be the four of us, all couples. We'd be like… a couple of couples!" Hermione laughed along with him, and they went into the house to get his broom.

That day was perfect for flying. The light wind gave their brooms just enough lift to soar with ease. But despite the wonderful weather, they were all having trouble flying. Ron had not taken his eyes of Hermione below him, and Harry and Ginny were sneaking glances at each other. Harry had to chant inside his head _Ron's little sister, Ron's little sister, Ron's little sister!_ But whenever he would sneak another glance at her, all he could think about was how gorgeous she looked up in the air, all windblown.

Ginny was having similar thoughts. _God, his hair! His wonderfully messy hair! He looks so handsome on his broom!_ It was as she daydreamed that the grapefruit they were using as a Quaffle soared past her head and landed in the grass with a splat.

The rest of the practice and the whole day went on like that, with Hermione and Ron trying to be secretive about their budding relationship, and Harry and Ginny flirting back and forth. But there was one thing that they all knew about and were looking forward to: Harry's party the next day.

A/N: Tee hee! Ok, I hope you all liked that chapter! (btw, the 'couple of couples' line was from _Friends_) Please R/R!!!!!


	7. Rude Awakenings and Canoodling

Disclaimer: In case you were wondering, I don't own Harry Potter. Though I wish I did.

**Chapter Seven Rude Awakenings and Canoodling**

Ginny was walking towards him, her face glowing with sunlight. They were in the sky, the clouds swirling around them. Was this heaven? "I've always had a crush on you, Harry," she said, looking more beautiful and angelic than he had ever seen her. "But now I know that I'm in love with you." Yes, it was heaven.

Without thinking, Harry replied, "I love you too!"

Then, as quickly as the dream had started, Ginny's beautiful face turned into Ron's furious one. "YOU DO?!"

"I do?" Harry mumbled in his sleep. He was about to drift back to Ginny-filled dreams when his slumber was interrupted by several loud voices.

"Wake up!!! Happy Birthday!!!" Harry recognized the voices that were yelling down at him. He opened his eyes and put on his glasses. He was looking at—Ron! He let out a quick yell, still thinking that he was in his dream.

"Calm down mate, we just wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Ron said. Harry looked around to see who was in his room. Ron, Hermione, the twins, and Ginny had all come to wake him up with not only their hollering, but also a wide variety of fireworks (all from Fred and George's shop) that were all now whizzing around the room and exploding.

"Can't a guy get any sleep around here?" Harry mumbled as he put on his robe. He was also inwardly happy that he had worn a t-shirt and pajama pants to bed, and not just boxers. Despite the fact that he was now 16, he was still hopelessly skinny and had as much muscle definition as Snape had shampoo. He certainly didn't want his best friends (okay, Ginny) to see him in nothing but his underwear. And it didn't help that he had the worst case of bed head imaginable and he turned beet red when he saw that the object of his dream was standing right in front of him, looking as fresh as a daisy and very pretty, as usual, despite the fact that it was eight o'clock on a Saturday morning.

Harry cleared his throat. "Er, well, thanks for the…" He searched for the right word. "Celebration."

"Oh, this is the least of it!" said Ron excitedly.

Ginny elbowed him sharply in the ribs, and then put on a sunny smile. "Come on down to breakfast Harry, Mum's making loads of food." She smiled at him again, making his heart flip over in his chest, and then went out the door. Hermione quickly followed, glancing at Ron and blushing on her way.

Once the girls had left, Harry started getting dressed. The three youngest Weasley boys stood looking at him innocently as a firecracker still whizzed around the room.

"So, Harry," said Fred airily, "Who were you marrying in your dream?"

"What?" Harry said quickly, his face turning very red.

"You were saying 'I do, I do' in your sleep," explained George. "Who were you dreaming about?"

Harry's face went from beet red to pale white. If they found out he had been dreaming about Ginny, they would beat him up right on the spot, he knew it. "Er… I dunno," Harry said shortly. "I can't remember." The twins nodded suspiciously and then went downstairs for breakfast, and he got the distinct feeling that they didn't believe him.

"Anyway, Harry," Ron said, looking skeptically at the twin's retreating backs, "I thought we'd go to Diagon Alley today, to celebrate, you know…."

"Sure, I guess," Harry said. Then another thought struck him. "But do you think it'll be—you know—safe for us to be alone in Diagon Alley?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Bill's taking us," Ron said.

"You've got this all planned out, haven't you…." Harry looked at him warily. Ron had said something once about Ginny and Hermione throwing him a party, but then hadn't said anything else about it.

"I just thought that we'd do something fun for your sixteenth birthday, that's all…" Ron trailed off vaguely. "Anyway, see you downstairs at breakfast." He quickly left. Harry shrugged and got dressed.

When Ginny said 'loads of food', she meant _loads_ of food. There were huge stacks of pancakes, toast, and waffles; piles of sausages, bacon, and eggs; and a delicious smell wafted through the whole house. Ron and the twins were already stuffing themselves with food, while Ginny and Hermione sat politely waiting for Harry. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who were bustling about the kitchen, insisted on shouting, "Happy Birthday Harry!" another time.

Mrs. Weasley pushed Harry into the nearest chair, which to his embarrassment, was next to Ginny. She smiled widely at him when he sat, and then started to carefully butter her toast. Harry shook himself awake again, and started to eat his breakfast.

A half an hour later, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, were all full to bursting. Clutching his full stomach, Harry said, "If this is what you've got cooked up for breakfast, Mrs. Weasley, I can't wait for dinner." When he said this, everyone in the room shared a look. "What?" said Harry, noticing them.

"Nothing," said Mrs. Weasley quickly. "Fred, George, don't you think it's about time for you to be heading off to work?"

"Oh, yes, Mum. Thank you for reminding us," George said.

"Yes, we've got places to go and Wheezes to sell," added George. They disappeared from the kitchen with a loud crack.

"Well Harry, we have to be ready to meet Bill in the Leaky Cauldron in a few minutes," Ron said, standing up.

When Hermione and Ginny didn't get up, Harry said, "Aren't you two coming?"

"No, I think we're going to stay here today," Hermione said.

"Yeah, we've got a lot to do," Ginny added, earning a glare from Hermione.

"Okay, whatever you say," Harry said, more suspicious than ever. He tromped up the stairs to grab his small sack of wizarding money and his jacket. When he came back down, Ron was already standing by the fireplace, the flowerpot of Floo Powder in his hand.

"C'mon, we're already late," Ron said. He glanced at Hermione before saying "Diagon Alley" clearly and disappearing into a burst of green flames. Harry stepped into the fireplace and did the same (only he quickly glanced at Ginny, not Hermione). The familiar unpleasant swirling sensation came to him again, and when he opened his eyes, he recognized the fuzzy lighting and strange folk inside the Leaky Cauldron.

The people standing in front of him were not strangers. He saw Ron first, who looked quite red in the face. Then he looked to his left and was greeted by another redhead—Bill. Harry exchanged a brotherly handshake with him, and then looked to see who Bill had his other arm around. He first noticed the bright, white-blonde hair that stood out in the dimness of the pub. Then he saw the friendly face that was speaking to him now.

"'Arry! Eeet ees so good to see you!" Fleur enveloped him a quick hug. "My my, you 'ave grown eento a man seence I last saw you!" Harry blushed.

"C'mon sweet, don't embarrass the poor guy!" Bill clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's have a drink, shall we?" The group sat down at an empty table. Bill had a tall glass of Firewhiskey, Fleur had a small gillywater with a little umbrella, and Harry and Ron both had Butterbeers. They lapsed into a polite conversation about Quidditch (Puddlemore United had beaten the Ballycastle Bats) and Fleur's time in England (she would be staying there for the rest of the year). Harry noticed that Ron only looked mildly embarrassed upon first seeing Fleur, but hardly did now. He would have thought that after making a fool of himself because of her, Ron would be mortified about seeing her again. But, as he told Harry later, Fleur had already stopped by the Burrow for dinner to meet Bill's parents (and must have had subsequently visited the Hot Spot).

When they were all done with their drinks and conversation was scarce, they stepped out of the pub into the bright sunshine of Diagon Alley. The first stop they made was to Gringotts, as Harry and Bill had little to no pocket change. Fleur squealed with excitement as they zoomed down the roller coaster-like trip underground. Harry's vault was first, and he hastily tried to cover up the piles of money that rested there. When they got to Bill's own vault though, Harry didn't feel so bad. The oldest Weasley son had quite a stash of gold considering he was only in his late twenties. Apparently, curse-breakers for Gringotts made quite a lot of money.

The four of them finally emerged from the bank, their pockets much heavier than before. They strolled down the street, Harry and Ron looking in the store windows, and Bill and Fleur holding hands and canoodling. When they reached the front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, Ron let out a yell. "Harry! Come look at this!" He ran over the front window of the store. "It's the new Icebolt!" Ron said, his voice full of awe. Harry's eyes widened, and he read the plaque that was in the center of the display.

"New and Improved: The Icebolt outflies all other brooms in the world! Turns on a sickle and is even faster than its predecessor, the Firebolt! Streamlined bristles, with a hand carved mahogany handle. See shopkeeper for price." They could only sit back and stare at it in awe. Even Bill and Fleur took enough time out of snuggling up against each other to come over and look at it. They were all speechless, and they stood there in awed silence until—

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Seamus Finnegan walked over to them with Dean and Neville right behind him. "I wanted to get one for meself, but me mam could never afford it."

"Puddlemore United ordered them for all their players," Neville added.

"Oliver too?" Harry said in amazement.

"Lucky bastard," muttered Ron.

"Anyway, Happy Birthday Harry," said Dean, cuffing his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday mate," Seamus added.

"I didn't know that you guys even knew when my birthday was," Harry said, once again suspicious.

"'Course we do! We're your roommates, right?" Dean said. Harry nodded.

"Anyway, we'd better be going," Neville said. "We've got to get ready for—" He stopped after warning looks from his friends. "I mean, we've got to go… home." They all said their goodbyes and the three other boys scurried off.

"That was odd," said Harry. Ron just nodded, his ears pink.

Harry, Ron, and their chaperones spent the rest of the day strolling down Diagon Alley, stopping to go into the stores and for ice cream. For some reason, the others convinced Harry not to fill up on lunch. He supposed there was a big dinner ahead of him.

They also ran into the Patil twins, who were doing some shopping. And for some reason, they were hiding their shopping bags behind their backs. They were also very giggly. At first Harry thought it was because Bill was so good looking, but then he saw them whispering behind their hands and pointing at Ron. Why was it that Harry was always the last to know everything?

A little after six o'clock, they headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron. Ron went into the fireplace first. He said "The Burrow!" very loudly and clearly, and he disappeared into the fire. Harry was about to go in right after him, but Bill held him back.

"Why don't you wait a few moments so that Ron can… clear out of the way," he said. After a minute went by, he finally stepped into the fireplace. As he stood there, he finally realized exactly what was going on. With a grin, he said, "The Burrow!"

When he opened his eyes, rubbed his glasses clean and stepped out of the fireplace, a deafening sound met his ears.

**"SURPRISE!!!!!!"**


	8. Nicknames and MixUps

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, he would have had a birthday party long ago.

**Chapter Eight Nicknames and Mix-Ups**

**"SURPRISE!!!!!!" **

Harry jumped back in shock. He had figured out that his friends were throwing him a surprise party, but not all _this_!

The Weasley's house was unrecognizable. Gold and silver streamers and decorations draped from all of the walls and ceiling; the house was so clean it seemed to sparkle; more of Fred and George's fireworks were bouncing off the walls; and outside there were a dozen tables in the garden, all of which were decorated with tablecloths and flowers, each with a pixie-filled lantern hovering above it. There was also a small stage outside, with a grassy space in front of it meant for dancing. On the stage, there were four witches in torn robes, setting up instruments. Harry recognized them to be the Weird Sisters.

But what shocked Harry the most was the fifty or so people that stood in front of him, each with a huge smile on their face as they shouted greetings to him. He recognized some of the people who were standing in the front of the crowd: Neville, Seamus, and Dean, Firenze the centaur, Hagrid and Madame Maxime (who were distinguishable even though they were at the back of the crowd), all of the Weasleys (minus Bill, who had yet to arrive, and Percy), the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, and what looked to be everyone from the D.A. (excluding Cho, Michael Corner and his friends, Marietta Edgecombe and Zacharias Smith) and a few people that Harry had met from the Order (Tonk's lime green hair stood out in the crowd).

Harry was at a loss for words. No one had ever taken so much trouble just to make him happy. "I don't know what to say!" He grinned enormously. "Thank you!" Cheers rang out from the crowd of friends, and Hermione gave him a huge hug. She stepped back quickly, glancing at Ron. Mrs. Weasley came next, engulfing him in an even bigger hug, whispering, "Happy Birthday, dear."

Ginny came toward him next, looking very pretty in stylish Muggle clothes. "Happy Birthday Harry." She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he gingerly put his around her waist. He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of flowers that was coming from her. Ginny backed away slowly, blushing deeply, due to many catcalls coming from her brothers.

Harry had reddened somewhat as well, and he quickly busied himself by shaking hands with all his male guests, and getting hugs from all of his female ones. He was surprised that so many people had showed up for his party, and that his friends had gone through so much trouble to make him happy.

After he had greeted all his guests, Mrs. Weasley ushered them all to sit down at the beautifully decorated tables in the garden for a light supper. What she called a 'light supper' turned out to be big portions of roasted turkey, chicken, and duck; a huge salad with what looked like frog legs scattered on the top; an enormous mound of mashed potatoes and yams; a large basket of sweet rolls for each table; and a plate of assorted vegetables including green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus.

Harry sat down at a round table with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville. The Weird Sisters had started to play a relaxing background song to listen to that was barely even heard over the lively chatter. Harry's table was engaged in a discussion of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"I'm trying out for Chaser," Ginny said.

"And you'll definitely make the team, you're really good!" Neville said, blushing slightly. Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"What positions do we need to fill?" said Ron, thinking out loud. "Two Chasers, now that Angelina and Alicia have graduated, and two Beaters to replace Fred and George."

"Who's going to be trying out?" Harry asked to no one in particular.

"Colin and Dennis Creevey are trying out for Chaser with me, but I don't know how good they are," Ginny said. "And Dean and Seamus are going for Beaters." Ron's ears perked up at hearing Dean's name, which prompted Ginny to reply, "For goodness sake Ron, we're _not_ going out!"

"Anyway, we all know who'll be Captain," Neville said, glancing at Harry.

"Who, me?"

"Of course!" Ron said, slapping him on the back.

"You're the best player in the whole school!" Ginny said, causing him to blush.

"I find the sport of Quidditch to be pointless," Luna said distantly, earning her glares from the whole table. "You know, riding broomsticks for a long period of time, including Quidditch games, may cause you to sprout boils all over your arms." The others looked at her in disbelief, and then continued their conversation.

After all the guests finished their meal, many of them were coming over to Harry, wanting him to open their gifts. He first opened his presents from Hermione (a book about past Gryffindor Seekers) and Ron (a silver snitch that was bewitched to stay within ten yards of the player for him to practice with). Fred and George got him a box filled with fireworks, Mrs. Weasley made him a sweater, and Hagrid made him some treacle tart.

While Harry was opening his presents, Hermione and Ron mysteriously disappeared. Harry was so busy with his other guests, however, that he hardly noticed.

Hermione led Ron down the familiar path into the forest. They could still see the glow of light and hear the sounds coming from the party, but neither of the teenagers paid any attention to anything but each other. When they finally came to the clearing known as 'The Hot Spot', Ron spoke up.

"You know, Hermione, _our_ names still aren't on the tree." He grinned mischievously.

"Well, we'll just have to earn it." She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled his lips down to meet hers. Hermione sunk into his arms, filled with happiness.

After a few minutes, she finally came up for air and said, "Okay."

"'Okay' what?" Ron said playfully. "Is that my grade for this snogging session, or—"

"Okay," Hermione repeated, smiling. "We're worthy of the tree." Ron grinned widely, and kissed her swiftly on the lips. Then he pulled a penknife and began to work.

"You were completely prepared for this weren't you?!" Hermione said. "You knew I was going to give in and make it official!"

Ron gave her a lopsided grin. "Yes, 'Mione, I know you oh-so-well." He finished carving the 'R' into the tree. "You know, maybe I should think of a nickname for you." He completed the 'O'. "I dunno, how about 'Hermy', or 'Hermykins'?" She pushed him playfully in the shoulder, knowing that he was kidding. "Or MiMi? Or HermHerm?" She grimaced. "Or how about just 'Mione'? I call you that already." He finished his own name.

"'Mione is fine," Hermione said.

"'Mione it is," Ron said. He completed the carving, ('RonMione') and sealed it with a kiss. (He kissed Hermione, not the tree.)

"So what do you think is in store for us?" Hermione said casually as she and Ron got comfortable in the hammock.

"What d'you mean?"

"_Us_. You and me. And everyone I suppose."

"Well, we'll go back to school. Everyone there will look at Harry differently, that's for sure. And there'll be plenty of broom cupboards and empty classrooms for _us_ to make use of." He grinned mischievously.

Hermione snuggled closer to him and sighed. They swung on the hammock in each other's arms before she said softly, "We should probably be getting back."

"Yeah, I suppose another couple at the party will want to use this spot," Ron said.

"_Couple?_" Hermione said, suddenly very tense.

"Yeah, you know, a boyfriend and girlfriend," Ron said.

"_Boyfriend and girlfriend_…." Hermione whispered. Then she got off of the hammock and said, "I didn't know that _we_ were boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Oh, sorry, is it just a snog here and there?"

"No, it's just that…. I've never really had a boyfriend before. I don't count Viktor as one, we're just pen pals." She wrung her hands. "I just wanted you to ask me properly, that's all."

"Oh," Ron said, obviously confused.

"Call me old-fashioned, but I just want my first boyfriend to be special. Not that you aren't, of course, I just want you to respect me."

"Of course I respect you Hermione. I lo—like you a lot." He opened his mouth to ask her, and she cut him off.

"Don't ask now, the moment's ruined. Let's just go back to the party." She started off down the trail, and Ron was right behind her. When they came to the edge of the woods, Hermione stopped. "I'll go to the party first, and you can follow behind me in a few minutes. I'm going to the bathroom, I need to freshen up." She straightened her skirt and tried to flatten her mussed hair as she walked back toward the floating lights and sounds of voices that was the party. Ron sighed, and went behind her several minutes later.

"Ok, ok. Now do the pig nose!" Ginny squealed with laughter as Tonks changed her features on command. A small crowd of people had gathered around her to watch.

"Can you make yourself look like actual people?" Dennis Creevey asked in his high-pitched voice.

"You mean do impressions?" Tonks said. "Yeah, I can. But only if I know the person well enough to remember what they look like. Watch." Tonks scrunched her face up in pain as she transformed herself to look like Umbridge.

"Hey, Harry! Look! It's Professor _Bum_bridge!" Dennis shouted across the garden. Harry only glanced at Dennis to see what he was on about, and then rolled his eyes and got back to his conversation with Lupin.

"So Dumbledore says we can keep the D.A.?" Harry asked Lupin.

"Yes, but this year it won't be a secret, and it'll be open to anyone who wants," he replied. "And the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will help you."

"I wish you could be our teacher. Everyone says you were their favorite," Harry said.

"Harry, you know I can't. The parents have a right to want to protect their children from werewolves. I can't risk it." Lupin sighed, looking wearier than ever. They sat there in quietly until—

"Harry!" Ron ran up to him, panting as if he had been running.

"Hey Ron, where have you been?" Harry said.

"Never mind that!" Ron looked around the backyard. "Where's Hermione?"

Harry scanned the crowds of guests. "There she is." He pointed to a very triumphant-looking Hermione standing in the middle of the crowd with Ginny.

Ron ran over to the middle of the crowd. "Hermione!" He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to a more private spot by a bench. "Look, I know what you said before. But I don't care. I like you, and I think I might even be falling in love with you. I don't care who knows it. All I care about is you. And I want you to be my girlfriend." Ron finally stopped to breathe. Hermione just looked up at him, her eyes wide. Then she finally spoke.

"I'm not Hermione." Tonks transformed back into her usual self, green hair and all. Ron gasped.


	9. Birthday Cake and Bad Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. 'Nuff said.

**Chapter Nine Birthday Cake and Bad Thoughts**

"Ron? Say something." Tonks looked worriedly at Ron, who had turned bright red and looked like he was frozen to the ground. "Ron, I'm sorry if I messed anything up between you and Hermione. I really don't know what's going on."

Then Ginny, who had been watching and listening the whole time, rushed over and said, "Ron, stop kidding around!" She gave a fake smile. "He's just joking, he likes to say stupid things like that." She tugged his arm, and when he didn't move, she said, "Actually, I think he must be sick! Yes, that's it. He's very ill and he's hallucinating, and he's saying things he doesn't mean!" Ginny started to pull her brother away from Tonks and toward the kitchen. "I'm just going to go give him his medication!" She dragged Ron into the empty house and turned around to talk to him.

"Look, I know you and Hermione are going out or whatever, but if you're trying to keep it a secret, I'd suggest confessing your undying love to her in a more private spot! People were staring at you, babbling on like that, and I know that some students saw you two snogging at the train station as well, Parvati told me! So, like it or not, your relationship has pretty much gone public!"

Ron finally seemed to come out of the shock that he was in before, and his face turned a vivid red before he said, "You knew?"

"Of course I knew!" Ginny sighed impatiently. "I saw you guys kissing in the train station. It took you long enough to tell her you fancied her."

Ron gaped at her. "Was it that obvious?"

"Of course it was! I won two Galleons from Fred and George about it! I bet that you would tell her sometime this summer," Ginny said, grinning. Ron started to open and close his mouth as if he was a fish out of water. She just rolled her eyes and went on. "Anyway, as I said before, I wasn't the only one to see you and Hermione's little farewell snog at King's Cross, so I'd suggest you tell her that everyone knows. Parvati and Lavender will have already told the whole school by the end of holiday."

"Let me get this straight," Ron finally said, slowly. "Everybody here knows about me and Hermione?"

"Well, not everyone," Ginny said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "I don't think Luna does. And Harry's been pretty clueless this whole time."

"Harry's always been thick in the romance department," Hermione said as she walked into the kitchen from the bathroom.

Ron looked at her, apology written all over his face. "I am so, so sorry Hermione," he said. "I thought that it was you—"

"It's ok," she interjected. "I heard." When he looked confused, she said, "Let's just say that your bathroom window isn't soundproof and you weren't making an effort to keep your voice down." She took a step toward him. "You really meant what you said?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he replied. "I really care about you, 'Mione." She smiled at the use of her nickname, and took another step toward him to slip her arms around his neck.

"I'm completely happy for you guys," Ginny interrupted, "but I'm not thrilled at the idea watching my brother snog my friend in the middle of our kitchen. I'll see you two lovebirds later." Ron and Hermione blushed as Ginny left the room.

Just then, Mrs. Weasley came bustling in, and the two of them sprang apart, blushing even more deeply. "Oh, don't worry dears, everyone already knows," she said, smiling at them.

Ron let out a frustrated sigh. "My mother knows about us, but my best friend? Of course not."

Hermione gasped slightly. "Ron, what are we going to do about Harry? Should we just tell him?"

"I'm sure he'd rather want to hear it from us than Parvati and Lavender." Ron took Hermione's hand in his, and started to walk out the door.

"Don't be long, dears! The birthday cake is coming out soon!" Mrs. Weasley called after them.

They walked outside, hand in hand, earning many stares from the guests. They ignored them and headed toward the table where Harry was sitting with Lupin, Ginny and Tonks, who had finally stopped with the show she had been putting on before. "Harry, can we talk to you?" Ron said. "In private?"

"Sure," Harry replied, and they walked over to the secluded bench in the garden. They sat there in silence before Harry said jokingly, "Am I in trouble?" after seeing the serious looks on his best friends' faces.

"No, of course not," said Hermione.

"We just wanted to tell you…." Ron said, trailing off. "We wanted to say that…."

"Ron and I are going out," Hermione finished.

"As a couple," he added unnecessarily.

They looked at Harry worriedly for a few moments when he did not reply. Then, to their relief, his face broke into an unmistakable grin. "That's great!"

His friends returned the smile. "Really?" Hermione said.

"Yeah, really!" Harry punched Ron playfully in the arm. "You guys should have told me sooner! I'm fine with you going out!"

The three of them smiled and chuckled for several moments before Hermione said, "Harry! I think they've brought out your cake!" The three of them got up and walked back toward the group of tables where the guests were mingling. Sure enough, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were trying to bring a huge birthday cake out from the kitchen. Harry's eyes (and Ron's) widened at the size of the cake, and they quickly went over to Harry's table to sing Happy Birthday and cut the cake.

Harry's birthday cake really was amazing. There were layers and layers of frosting, and the words 'Happy Birthday Harry' were written in gold icing on the silver-white cake. Golden Snitches made of frosting moved around on the top, and a broomstick made in icing was underneath Harry's name. But the most extraordinary thing about it was that after the slice of cake had been put on a plate, all a guest had to do was think of the kind of cake he wanted, and it would instantly turn to that kind.

Just as all of the guests were finished eating, the song that the Weird Sisters had been playing was over as well. The guests clapped, and a slow song came on (though thankfully, not a waltz). Ron and Hermione got up at once to dance. Couples, young and old, joined them, and they all started to slow dance the way Mugges did. Harry and Ginny seemed to be the only ones who weren't dancing (except for Lupin and Tonks, who were looking around awkwardly).

Harry wanted desperately to dance with Ginny, but she beat him to the idea. "Do you want to dance?" she asked, suddenly shy.

He didn't even have to think of the answer. "Of course." They walked out onto the patch of grass that was being used for dancing. A few heads turned as they walked by, and Harry noticed that a few of those heads were redheads. He tried to ignore them, but he couldn't help imagining himself being beat to a pulp by six older, stronger wizards.

But that thought flew from Harry's mind when Ginny put her arms gingerly around his neck and looked up at him with her warm brown eyes. His heart caught in his throat, and he timidly put his hands on her slim waist. He gulped. This way of dancing was easier than waltzing, but there were certainly more hormones involved.

Ginny's heart was beating as fast as a Fizzing Whizzbee. Harry was getting very flustered and nervous. It definitely wasn't because he was dancing with _her_. No, that couldn't be it.

Still, she thought he looked rather handsome in the light of the lanterns and the moon. She was lost in his green eyes, and she subconsciously twirled a lock of hair on the back of his head between her fingers. She wanted to dance with him forever.

Several feet away, Remus Lupin sat in awkward silence with Tonks. He looked over and saw Harry dancing with the youngest of the Weasleys. He gasped.

"What is it?" Tonks wanted to know.

"Look," he said, nodding towards Harry and Ginny. "In this light, from this angle…."

"Oh my God," Tonks breathed.

"I know," Lupin said. "They look exactly like Lily and James."

Moments later, the song ended. Both Harry and Ginny were reluctant to leave each other's arms. They retreated to the semi-private bench in the garden to 'continue their conversation'. Harry was the first to speak up.

"I just wanted to thank you for throwing this party for me. You didn't have to."

"Well I wanted to," Ginny replied. "And you deserve it. Besides, Hermione and Ron helped out a lot too."

"Yeah, well they're my best friends. You're…" He trailed off, unable to find the right word.

"Your best friend's little sister?" Ginny offered, her heart sinking.

"No. You're my friend too. I really…" _Just say that you like her,_ Harry thought. _Or fancy her. Or anything!_ "I really respect you." _Okay, not _anything_!_

However, Ginny seemed pleased with his answer. "Well, I'm glad that there's a guy out there who respects me, who isn't one of my brothers of course. Especially after Michael Corner."

"That git." Harry said it under his breath, but Ginny heard. Their eyes met for a moment, and before either of them knew it, they were kissing.

Both of them had been kissed before. Harry with Cho, and Ginny with Michael. But neither of them had ever experienced anything like this. It was not awkward or tear-filled, but absolutely wonderful. Harry was fighting a grin, and Ginny was holding back a squeal of delight. They were in their own little world until a horrible thought shot through Harry's mind like the bolt of lightning that was his scar.

_Ron's little sister_, his mind taunted him. _Ron's little sister, Ron's little sister, **Ron's little sister!**_

Harry sprung apart from Ginny. The all-too-familiar words that he had chanted in his mind when playing Quidditch with Ginny, to keep him from thinking about how beautiful she was, came at the worst possible time. For about a minute, he had been in heaven, and then he was ripped brutally back to earth.

Ginny looked up at him. "What is it?" she asked, worried that he had had some kind of vision, or that she wasn't a good enough kisser.

"Ginny," he said, avoiding her eyes, "I really like you."

"So what's the problem?" she asked, concealing her delight at the words she had waited to hear for so long.

"I can't go out with you," Harry said. The thought still haunted him: _Ron's little sister!_ "Or kiss you, or lay a single hand on you!"

"And why not?" she demanded angrily.

"I just can't!" And with that, Harry walked away quickly, leaving a very upset Ginny behind.


	10. Forgotten Carvings and Making Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: I worked really hard on the big finale of the story, so here it is! Enjoy!

**Chapter Ten Forgotten Carvings and Making Up**

August 1st dawned a stormy, unpleasant day. Harry awoke around nine o'clock and looked out the window, groaning. At first he was disappointed about the weather (no Quidditch today!) but then he remembered the events of the previous night's party. It had started out wonderfully, but just like the weather, it had turned for the worse.

After his kiss with Ginny, he had gone up to his bed in Ron's room to think. _Why_ did he have to kiss her? Or, more importantly, why did he have to kiss _her_? _Ron's little sister!_ No, he had to get those thoughts out of his head. He had kissed her because he wanted to. For a while, she wasn't just his best friend's sister, she was Ginny. A girl that Harry really liked and wanted to be with. But the truth was that she _was_ Ron's sister, and she and Harry could never go out.

He sat on the bed thinking like this for quite some time. When he finally went back down to his party, a good portion of the guests had left, and Ginny was nowhere to be seen. Hagrid was sitting at one of the tables, obviously very drunk by the way he was pounding his fists on the table. The Weird Sisters were droning on, half-asleep, while only Hermione and Ron remained on the dance floor. Harry watched them slow dance for awhile, but he found that it depressed him, so he decided to spend the rest of the evening sulking at the kitchen table, waiting to see Ginny come down the stairs.

When he went down to breakfast the following morning, only Ron and Hermione (who were sitting very closely together at the table) and Mrs. Weasley (who was making breakfast) were there. Harry sighed, and sat next to Ron, who wasn't concentrating on his food (for once), but his girlfriend. Mrs. Weasley saw them and tut-tutted, and then placed a huge plate of bacon and eggs in front of Harry.

"Good morning dear," she said cheerfully. Then she saw his expression and said, "Why the sad face?"

"It's nothing," Harry said quickly, casting a glance at Ron.

"All right, well eat up!" Then she walked briskly to the foot of the stairs. "Ginny! Come down for breakfast!" Harry's heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Then Ginny appeared, and he couldn't help but grin ear to ear when he saw her. She looked just as beautiful as always, and surprisingly cheerful. That is, she was cheerful until she saw Harry at the table.

"Good morning Mum, Ron, Hermione," she said, purposely skipping Harry's name. "I think I'll take my breakfast upstairs to eat," she added, and filled her plate with food to eat in her room.

Harry sighed, and put his head in his hands. Hermione and Ron, however, had not noticed the tension between Ginny and Harry, nor Harry's sigh when she left the room. "Too bad it's raining today," Hermione said, looking deeply into Ron's eyes. "We could have gone for a walk." He understood what she was implying and silently cursed the weather.

Harry's ears perked up. A walk! That was it! He could ask Ginny to go on a walk (once it stopped raining, of course) so they could talk everything out. He wasn't all that good with talking about relationships with girls, or his feelings (he's a guy, after all), but it was worth a shot.

So he waited downstairs for almost an hour, waiting for Ginny to come back downstairs. _She won't be allowed to keep dirty dishes in her room_, he thought. _Her mum would never allow it._ And sure enough, several chess games later, she crept quietly down the stairs, her dirty dishes in hand.

"Ginny!" Harry said her name so suddenly, she nearly dropped the tableware in her hands.

"Harry!" She placed a hand to her fast-beating heart. "You gave me a fright!"

"I'm sorry. Look, we have to go somewhere to talk." He wasted no time for chitchat. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Ginny had gotten over being surprised, and looked at Harry warily. "It's raining outside."

He glanced out the window. "No, it stopped raining. It's just wet."

She sighed. She wanted to make up with Harry, but how could she after what had happened? She sighed again, and said, "All right. But make it quick." He led her to the same bench in the garden where they had kissed the night before. She cringed. "Why don't we go somewhere else? The bench is all wet." Harry nodded, and looked around the backyard for another place for them to be alone.

"Where could we go?"

"I know a place. Here, follow me." Ginny grabbed his hand and led him toward the woods. His heart sped up when she touched him, and he willingly followed her into the trees.

As they went deeper into the forest, Harry started to recognize some of the trees around them. This was where they had found Ron and Hermione those days ago! Then they stepped into a clearing which Harry had only seen from afar. But before he could get a good look around, Ginny spoke.

"You wanted to talk. We're alone. So talk."

Harry immediately stopped wondering where he was and began to talk on command. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I did last night. It was wrong and stupid, and I wasn't thinking. Or at least I wasn't thinking the right thing." He shoved his chanting thoughts out of his mind. "I really, really, like you," he said. "And I hope you'll forgive me."

Ginny folded her arms and looked at the mossy ground. When she finally looked into his eyes, she was drawn to him, and before she knew it, she had flung her arms around his neck. Harry was taken aback for a moment, but then wrapped his arms around her waist into an intimate hug. "Oh Harry, of course I forgive you!" She buried her face in his neck. The sweet scent of her hair filled his nose, and her breath tickled his back. Then she slowly lifted her head off of his shoulder to look into his eyes. Harry was pleased to see that she was not crying. With a grin, he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips.

Ginny melted into his arms as joy bubbled up inside of her. She was kissing Harry! And this time it was even more wonderful than the last!

The newly formed couple was reluctant to cease in their snogging, but Harry had started to wonder once again where they were. When he asked, she answered, "Oh, just some silly place where my brothers go to be 'alone' with their girlfriends."

"Girlfriends…." Harry said mock-thoughtfully. He caught Ginny's eye.

"Yes, their girlfriends." Ginny looked at him skeptically. When he didn't say anything else, she added, "What're you getting at?"

"Well," Harry said, looking playfully into her eyes, "I was wondering…."

"Yes!" Before he could finish the question, she had answered it, and once again flung her arms around his neck to kiss him passionately.

After several moments, they came up for air. Straightening his glasses, Harry said, "We've only been going out for thirty seconds and already we're finishing each other's sentences. I'd say that's a good sign, wouldn't you?" Ginny grinned, and pulled his head down to meet hers.

Another few moments later, they came to their senses and took some time to observe their surroundings a little better. "What're all these carvings on the tree?" Harry asked.

"When couples come here, they carve their names into the tree," Ginny explained.

He looked at her playfully. "I've got a penknife," he said, drawing his present from Sirius out of his pocket. "It's very handy for opening locks, or… carving things?"

Ginny squealed and planted another kiss on Harry's cheek. He took this to be her consent at making their relationship official, and started to look for a place on the tree to carve their names. "Wow," Harry said, looking at all of the carvings on the tree. "All sorts of people have been here." He read the names 'ArthurMolly', 'Hagrid&Maxime', and 'Sirius & Barbie' (he chuckled sadly). Then he went around to the back of the tree, where the carvings were weathered and moss-covered. But there was still one that was legible, although the bark was starting to rot.

"Oh my God," Harry breathed.

"What is it?" Ginny wanted to know.

"It's—it's my parents." And sure enough, right where he was staring, the words 'James and Lily Forever' were embedded in the bark. She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder as he reached over to touch the word 'Forever'. Harry stood looking at it for several moments before he came to his senses and started to carve his and Ginny's names next to his parents.

"Harry? Are you all right?" Ginny looked at her boyfriend worriedly as he carved vigorously into the tree bark.

He didn't answer, he just continued to carve. Once he was done, he blew off the sawdust that had accumulated, and sat back to admire his work.

"There," he said finally, taking Ginny's hand in his. "We've left our mark." She smiled and kissed him, and the pair walked back to the house.

They were almost to the backyard garden when Ginny asked, "Are you okay with us going out?"

"_Me?_" Harry said. "Of course I'm okay with it! Why?"

"I don't know, it just seemed like you needed Ron's approval to date me. You were kind of freaked out about it before."

He looked thoughtful. "You know what? I really don't care. I mean, it would be nice if Ron was supportive of us, but it wouldn't matter to me. I want to be with you, and no one could stop me. Not even Ron." Ginny smiled, and squeezed his hand as they walked in the garden gate.

Ron looked over at Hermione where she sat reading at the kitchen table. _She's so beautiful,_ he thought. _I can't believe she's my girlfriend!_ He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"So, it's pretty great that Harry's okay with us going out, isn't it," Ron said, wanting to steer the conversation toward the two of them.

Hermione looked up from her book and smiled. "Yes, it is." She looked back down, but then added, "I know he would be all along, of course."

Ron stared at her. "You did not!"

"Yes, I did."

"No, you did not! You were nervous about what Harry'd say!"

"I was not!" Hermione said hotly.

"Oh, yes you were! Believe it or not, Hermione, but you don't know _everything!_"

They were getting into another of their rows, and they both knew it.

"I know a lot more than some people! And I know a hell of a lot more about you than you know about me!"

Ron didn't even stop to think that Hermione had sworn, and quickly retorted. "Oh yeah? Well I know you're a stuck up know-it-all!"

"Yeah? Well I know you're a Quidditch-obsessed jerk!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah? Well -- I love you!"

"I love you too!"

Ron and Hermione stopped to catch their breath, and to realize what they had said. He took a step toward her and repeated, "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Ron."

And so, Ron and Hermione were finally in love (at least, other people knew they were), Ginny and Harry were a couple, and all was right in the world at last.

**THE END**

A/N: Yay! I'm finally done! I'm also really sad to be finishing this story though. I love all you guys out there who read my story, or reviewed it! I wish I could thank you all individually! I love ya! Hugs to all!

Kelly

aka Lovely Lilacs


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